Not to be afraid
by Dana-Jellybean
Summary: Peter watched, as slowly all the other vampires moved to take a seat round the fire and tell stories of the battles they had thought, won or lost. It was at this point, that he noticed the absence of his mate; Charlotte. - One Shot


The fire crackled to life as the Egyptian vampire Benjamin stepped back with a grin on his face, Tia smirking with proud of the power her mate possessed. Jacob walked round the fire and sat beside them, shifting slightly to get some warmth.

"This is what I am talking about….a fire, stories of past battles…..or we could just stand there like statues….." The wolf boy said, the end of his sentence becoming deflated when he noticed the other vampires hovering round the edges of the circle.

Peter watched, as slowly all the other vampires moved to take a seat round the fire and tell stories of the battles they had thought, won or lost. It was at this point, that he noticed the absence of his mate; Charlotte. It had been some time since they had both agreed to stand and fight with the Cullen's, both of them had agreed on the decision however Peter felt that Charlotte was afraid; though she did not show it through her body language, he could tell by the way she was secluding herself from the group more and more which was something she had not done for over a century- not since they had left the south. Smelling the air proved his suspicions correct, her smell was not as potent as it would have been if she had been standing in the immediate area; the smell of honey and freesia's hung in the air but it was faint. Turning, he walked away from the fire- the sounds of battles slowly faded into nothing as his did and soon the only sound that accompanied him was the sound of the sleeping forest around him.

The snow crunched beneath his feet, the smell of the burning wood long behind him. The smell of his mate grew stronger still, as he weaved his way in and out of the trees- their shadows grey and dim in the moonless night. Finally he found her, curled up leaning against a large up-rooted tree; her arms wrapped around her knees, pulling them up to her chest- her chin resting upon them. She had often followed a similar course down in the south, the night before a battle, for she was afraid of dying- she was no fighter. Peter often questions himself on why Maria had changed Charlotte, for the girl was barely taller than 5 foot and had skinny arms and legs, unlike the rest of the female newborns who had been built like men- looked like it too; but Charlotte was a true girl in all the sense of the matter. She had tried her hardest to stay alive, yet they both knew that if Peter had not been there most of the time she would have lost and not have been here today.

Standing behind Charlotte, he could see her ridged body; fear laced her voice as she spoke "Peter…"

"What brings you all the way out here love…" he said, sitting beside her, reaching to caresses her cheek "this is no time to be alone"

She somewhat, flinched from his hand at first so that only his fingertips brushed her face "I want to be alone….it will be easier then…..if I die"

Peter felt a sudden spark of rage inside his chest. The thought of the death of his mate, his Charlotte, was agonisingly painful for him- he had watched her life come within inches of the grasp of deaths claws before; and he did not want to lose her tomorrow. He wanted to protect her, but this form of protection was almost foreign for him; he would risk his life to save hers which is something he always promised her but rarely had the chance to show her that he meant what he had said all those years ago. Peter clenched his fists, closing his eyes, trying not to imagine the death of his mate- it was hard, it was something he always worried about deep down- and now that the moment could be imminent, he did not know what to do.

"Don't say stuff like that Char..." Peter exhaled, trying not to sound angry

"There are things that are not in your power to stop Peter….."

Peter growled low, glancing at his mate "I Won't Let It Happen Charlotte"

"You know" she retorted "as well as I that the possibility of either of us dying tomorrow is high and you KNOW that it'd be more likely me than you"

"I SAID I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN." Peter raised his voice, slamming his clenched fist into the tree beside them

He took a deep, long breath, calming himself before he looked at Charlotte. She was watching him, her red eyes wide in fear and agony, but as soon as he looked towards her she turned away; as if ashamed to be with him. Peter sighed, reaching out to touch his mates cheek again; and this time she did not recoil from his hand, instead she let his hand brush softly against her cheek as she slowly began to break down her walls and let Peter in again. Her body began to tremble, as sobs fell from her mouth, and it slumped in defeat as she finally wanted to give up on hiding and cowering from danger anymore and just be free. Peter gently pulled her into a loving embrace, his arms wrapping around his mates petite body; her arms responding in a similar fashion, her tiny hands gripping the back of his shirt. He closed his eyes and rested his head against her soft brown hair; breathing in her sweet scent.

"It's okay Char…don't be afraid…." He kissed her head gently, rubbing her back in large circles "I will protect you, yeah? Tomorrow if I tell you to run, you run okay?"

Charlotte shook her head and looked up at him- her face bothered by his words "I am not leaving you…ever."

"Char…" Peter began before Charlotte quickly cut him off

"No Peter" she retorted "I will not leave you; I will not leave you to die alone! I am fed up with running….I just want to be with you without anything to fear…."

Peter looked at her, a glint of sadness dashed across his face. They both knew they could never stop running; it was in their nature- to stop running meant risking their existence, hunting more than once in one place held enough risk as it was, but staying somewhere permanently and purging on the humans would draw too much attention. They could try ration hunting but Peter knew his self-control was poor, barely existent and to remain around humans for so long without a drink would drive him insane- or to make a mistake that could lead to his and Charlotte's death. He knew she enjoyed the nomadic way of life, but not as much as he did; which was understandable considering she had always felt out of place, unwanted, and moving from one place to another on a regular basis was not helping that fact. He knew that if he wasn't with her, she would have settled down a long time ago. He sometimes felt like he was anchoring her down, that he should maybe let her go.

"You know we can't stop running…."

"I know but we can stop being afraid…can't we…" she begged "I don't want to settle down…all I want is to be with you and not be afraid….of anything"

"There should be nothing to be afraid of sweetheart..." he whispered caressing her cheek "as long as I am with you…you should not fear a thing…cause I will keep you safe.."

There was a moment of silence between the two; the only sound was the movement of trees and creatures of the night before Charlotte spoke "I love you….."

Peter looked into her eyes and the rest of the world seemed to fade away at that point. He leant down and kissed her softly, her hands going to his face; her palms soft and gentle against his stone face. She kissed him back as tender as he had, his arms going round her waist with on hand placed on the ground as he leant into her kissing. He loved the way she kissed, her lips always felt soft, something that was unusual for someone whose body had the same composition of marble; but still there was nothing he loved more. Charlotte pulled him closer, pushing him down onto the snow, kissing him softly; his hands moving round to under her shirt and she gasped at the new touch as his hands ran across her stomach towards her chest. He pushed back so she was straddling his legs as he kissed her lovingly, his hands tracing over her body as she shed him of his shirt before he removed hers; their eyes joining again as they removed the remainder of their clothing together. Charlotte lay in the snow, as he kissed her and caressed her skin as she whispered sweet nothings between each kiss, her hand running through his hair as they made love in the night. Peter kissed her gently, her eyes closing as they both stilled and remained close- Charlottes hands on Peters back and in his hair, while his were touching her face and the sweet spot on her waist.

Peter closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers "I love you…"

"I love you too…" she replied quietly


End file.
